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    From Gaia to Zen
    From Gaia to Zen
    From Gaia to Zen
    Ebook1,649 pages19 hours

    From Gaia to Zen

    By Seth Giolle

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    About this ebook

    From Gaia to Zen is an exploration in faith. This World Religions text offers articles on different themes running the religious gambit; reincarnation, sacrifice, cults, and medicine wheels are expanded upon. Much more is discussed. Several religious texts are covered (the Book of the Dead, Bhagavad-Gita, Zend-Avesta, and the Daodejing among them). In this edition, a Music in Religion section has been included. I find this an interesting topic and a rather central element to most religions. This etext also includes Research Notes gathered during the making of my world religions text. In here, you’ll find entries on many world religions from First Nations to Hinduism, to Bacon, Jediism and many others. The main religions are covered, but also some you might not have expected, and several philosophies are offered as well. Their history, main arguments, and assorted details are explored where possible for each.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLulu.com
    Release dateNov 3, 2019
    ISBN9781794720817
    From Gaia to Zen
    Author

    Seth Giolle

    Seth Giolle was born on a small, rural farm in southeast Ontario. After Travelling throughout Canada in all its splendour, he once again makes Ontario his home.

    Read more from Seth Giolle

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      Book preview

      From Gaia to Zen - Seth Giolle

      From Gaia to Zen

      by Seth Giolle

      6th Edition

      2019

      First Issued as Reflections of Gaia without World Religions material in 2013; Second Edition with 4 by 6 book format and World Religions data, 2014; Third Edition with extended World Religions articles and Notes Section, 2016; Fourth Edition with expanded Notes and Sacred Texts Sections, 2017; Fifth Edition, published under a new title, From Gaia to Zen, as World Religions alone with Religious Holidays added, 2017.

      This Edition, printed in 6 by 9 format as its previous incarnation, Copyright (c) 2019 by Seth Giolle; Toronto, Canada.

      Published by Seth Giolle

      Distributed by Lulu.com

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of cited quotations embodied in literary articles, social media posts, and general reviews.

      Cover Background by Jane Hoople.

      Internal Illustrations and Book Design by Seth Giolle.

      ISBN: 978-1-79472-081-7

      Note from the Author:

      I’ve always believed in the freedom of choice. Power, as has been argued many times, is an illusion. There’s always something, someone, or some system pulling the strings. You have the power to do your job and get paid, if you do the job the way they like, don’t tell someone where to go, and abide by the work and bank rules. You have the power to not go to work if you don’t want to, as long as you don’t need money for rent, food, and housing. You have the power of free speech, as long as you don’t offend the wrong person or put yourself at risk by saying too much. We, ultimately, have several choices open to us, and we choose one, but there are invisible strings in play along each next step we take, so power is an illusion.

      But we do have that choice.

      This is especially important when it comes to belief. I’ve never felt it right when someone tells another what they must believe. I never liked it when it was a teacher with a closed mind or a neighbour telling me who I should vote for. I don’t like that mind set in bosses either, even though it’s often their job to do so. I present to you a world religions book with this goal in mind: I aim to present to you something to think about.

      I’m not going to try and convince you what to believe. I won’t sell you a story and get you believing what I’ve selected for you. There are a lot of religions out there, and I’m including articles on common themes. I have articles on religious texts included here as well. World Religion Holidays are shared, and Music in Religion is explored.

      This isn’t a traditional World Religions text in two ways.

      First, I cover more than three religions. Most texts that call themselves world religions only cover Christianity, Judaism, and maybe Islam. You might get Confucianism and Taoism, but they’re usually in their own books alone. This book covers a lot more religions giving a broader taste for what’s out there.

      Second, in most books, you find one religion; learn about it; and move on to the next. This text is laid out differently. It’s not an encyclopaedia or school text book. If you read the articles, pick up cues from the Religious Texts section, then, pick out more un-articled detail from the Music section – if you do this, you’ll end up with a rounded concept for the religions discussed, but you’ll have to use you head and reason out the links. It’s not a straight forward approach, but from this different angle of approach, this text will likely deliver a more lasting result.

      I also cover some of the main philosophies as well as alien religions in this text. They’re bases of belief, rules of life on what to believe and how to practise that belief, and it may be you decide to follow one of them instead of a religion. I figure it’s only right to give you the option of learning about them too.

      My goal is to present the material with an open mind. I don’t know what religion, faith, or philosophy you already follow or may choose to look into more closely. That isn’t my choice. It’s yours.

      And yes, there are holes. There is a lot of information out there on the world of religion, and no book this size could ever hope to do more than just breach the surface. I cover the basics and a little more. If you find something that interests you, do more research to find the rest. I hope this book works as a good place to start or maybe expand your own research.

      Use your open mind and think. Then decide.

      Then think some more.

      I suppose I need to cover one more point. This book uses the BCE and CE dating formats. BCE stands for Before Current Era, and CE stands for Current Era. Anything that is BCE happened before what our calendars recognize as Year 0. Anything CE happened after that same Year, so anything that’s happened in our Current Era.

      0001

      You may have grown up learning the use of BC and AD, so this may be confusing, but I hope not. I certainly have some very good reasons for not using this older (and rather archaic) dating style.

      For one thing, the use of BC and AD isn’t accurate.

      BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini, Latin for in the year of our lord) suggests Christ was born at Year 0 – which even the Bible suggests is untrue, not that anyone can agree on the date of his birth.

      I’ll cite Joseph Castro in his online article, When was Jesus Born? (https://www.livescience.com/42976-when-was-jesus-born.html). Using the Biblical story of Herod the Great as reference, Christ would have been born somewhere between 6 – 4 BCE, 6 years before 0. Herod apparently died in 4 BCE, and the order was given to kill all male children before then, in the attempt to kill Christ as an infant.

      He also points out that the fabled Star of Bethlehem from the story of Christ’s birth may have been a slow-moving comet at the time, reported by Chinese observers as being over the Middle East in 5 BCE, so 5 years before 0. Or was that star a combination of Venus and Jupiter converging in June of 2 BCE? Saturn and Jupiter converging in October of 7 BCE?

      From another online source, Jesus reportedly started his ministry at the age of 30 during the time of John the Baptist. Using some lines from Luke 3:1-2 and looking to historical records of that era, that would put Jesus’ teachings at around 27 CE, so he’d have been born between, yes, back to that previous time period, 6-4 BCE (https://www.got

      questions.org/what-year-was-Jesus-born.html).

      Yet another point of view, the Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Christ was born in early Fall of 2 BCE. Their reasoning relates to the description of seasons, animals, and travel used at the time of his birth.

      So no one can even agree on when Jesus was born, but it certainly wasn’t Year 0, so using his birth as a marker of Year 0 isn’t accurate. In my mind, to keep using a dating format simply because we always have, knowing it’s not accurate, makes no real sense.

      Another reason I rely on BCE and CE is that this is a world religions book. There’s a good chance whoever picks up this text to read might be Buddhist, Jain, Hindu, or maybe you follow Islam. Maybe you’re an Australian Aboriginal. It’s quite possible you follow an atheist religion or have chosen a philosophy to call your own, so it’s possible you don’t believe Christ was ever born. You might believe he was a fictional character written into history who never actually existed.

      The point of a world religions book is to respect each faith and belief presented within the covers. It’s not required that I be super extra kind, but respectful just the same. That’s also the point of having an open mind for that matter.

      I don’t know what you personally believe, and I’m okay with whichever religion you follow. Basically, using a dating format that is geared around and related solely to the Christian faith isn’t very world religions of me.

      The third reason I use BCE and CE in what follows is that, not only are they religion neutral, but they’re simple, straight forward, and accurate. Anything before Year 0, happened Before our Current Era (BCE). Anything that has happened since is in our Current Era (CE). There’s no debate as to who was born when or who follows which deity. It’s all just plain clean, simple, and done.

      If the BC or AD are in a quote, of course, I am bound to use them. That’s a given.

      Again, I hope this causes no confusion.

      If you have suggestions on how I can improve this book, maybe some extras or material I can cover that I’ve missed, drop me a note. I’ve discovered that I like research, and I find the material compelling.

      Seth Giolle.

      Religious Themes

      An Opening Note

      Popularity of the Earth Mother

      Influences of Religions upon One-another

      Ritual Sacrifice – Animal and Human

      Connection of Man to Nature

      Importance of Ancestral History

      Reincarnation

      Responsibility to the Dead

      Connection between Man and his Actions

      Fate versus Free Will

      Spirits About versus Separate

      Trouble with Sources and Proof

      Random Thoughts

      Lessons I think I’ve gathered from my Learning

      Fringe Religions

      What is a Cult?

      Ways we Decorate our Sacred Spaces

      Great Circles and Medicine Wheels

      Pyramids

      Mummification

      Places for Worship

      Burial Practises

      Burial Settings

      Animal Spirit Guides

      Speaking to the Gods

      Folk Tales

      Fasting

      Ghosts in Religion

      Astral Travel

      Idol Worship

      Marriage Practices

      Religious Symbolism

      Dogs in Religion

      The Silk Road

      The Manipulation of Faith

      Seven Chakras

      Mediumship

      Ascension

      Shamanism

      Crystal Healing

      Sacred Skin

      Ancient Astronauts

      Religious Texts

      The Sarajevo Haggadah

      Egyptian Book of the Dead

      I Ching

      Rune Casting

      Bhagavad-Gita

      The Book of Songs

      The Zend-Avesta

      Kebra Nagast

      Aradia, or the Gospel of Witches

      Popul Vuh

      Daodejing

      Dead Sea Scrolls

      Music in Religion

      Religious Holidays

      Quotes on Spirituality

      Suggested Reading

      Research Notes

      Works Cited

      invisGif3

      Religious Themes

      What follows is a collection of articles after a fashion that I took to writing after starting my research into world religions. I didn’t want to just describe the religions. You can buy most any other religion-based book or check online for that sort of thing. I was aiming for something different, something more encompassing that might introduce the world religions I’d come across in a more interesting and possibly more compelling manner.

      Most of these articles follow themes that are common throughout the religious world; whereas, some of them are written about oddities that occurred to me, and I do include reference to the text or book where I found the information.

      I find MLA references make a text seem so rigid and unappealing, but I want to respect that the information was someone else’s, so I use an altered version of MLA. It’s very close to the MLA format, but not quite. It’s Giolle Format? I suppose this means I won’t be writing textbooks for other people any time soon, but I’m okay with that. I did all that research, so I want to reference it in the way that I feel fits and works best.

      I’m hoping these thoughts will educate some and open their minds a little. Maybe it’ll only raise more questions, but that’s not a bad thing. We only learn by asking questions. If we don’t get the right answers, or answers we accept as good enough, we go looking for better ones. As such, we grow as human beings.

      And yes, as mentioned in the Note from the Author, I include some philosophies. They’re great ways of seeing the world and our place in it. It wouldn’t be right to turn a blind eye to one of the other side of this argument (of not only which god is up there but whether or not he or she is really there).

      Religion and Philosophy are two strong choices for each of us.

      Let’s begin.

      An Opening Note

      (1155 Words – last count)

      Pastafarianism

      (Beginning of Block Quote)

      The Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) is the deity of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster or Pastafarianism (a portmanteau of pasta and Rastafarian), a social movement that promotes a light-hearted view of religion and opposes the teaching of intelligent design and creationism in public schools. Although adherents describe Pastafarianism as a genuine religion, it is generally seen by the media as a parody religion.

      The Flying Spaghetti Monster was first described in a satirical open letter written by Bobby Henderson in 2005 to protest the Kansas State Board of Education decision to permit teaching intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in public school science classes. In that letter, Henderson satirized creationism by professing his belief that whenever a scientist carbon-dates an object, a supernatural creator that closely resembles spaghetti and meatballs is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage. Henderson argued that his beliefs were just as valid as intelligent design, and called for equal time in science classrooms alongside intelligent design and evolution. After Henderson published the letter on his website, the Flying Spaghetti Monster rapidly became an Internet phenomenon and a symbol of opposition to the teaching of intelligent design in public schools.

      Pastafarian tenets (generally satires of creationism) are presented both on Henderson's Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster website, where he is described as prophet, and in The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, written by Henderson in 2006.

      The central belief is that an invisible and undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe. Pirates are revered as the original Pastafarians. Henderson asserts that a decline in the number of pirates over the years is the cause of global warming. The FSM community congregates at Henderson's website to share ideas about the Flying Spaghetti Monster and crafts representing images of it, as well as to discuss sightings of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

      Creation

      The central creation myth is that an invisible and undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe after drinking heavily. According to these beliefs, the Monster's intoxication was the cause for a flawed Earth. Furthermore, according to Pastafarianism, all evidence for evolution was planted by the Flying Spaghetti Monster in an effort to test the faith of Pastafarians—parodying certain biblical literalists. When scientific measurements such as radiocarbon dating are taken, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage.

      Afterlife

      The Pastafarian conception of Heaven includes a beer volcano and a stripper (or sometimes prostitute) factory. The Pastafarian Hell is similar, except that the beer is stale and the strippers have sexually transmitted diseases. (End of Quote: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster)

      I decided to include the above quote from wiki’s page to save time. It is a long quote yes, but it tells it straight. I didn’t want to misrepresent Pastafarianism. It is a registered and recognized religion. This religion first came to my attention on Facebook. A friend relayed a link to me regarding a Pastafarian woman who’d won the legal right to wear a colander on her head in an official photo ID.

      In case you’re wondering about Intelligent Design, don’t worry. You aren’t alone. I was more than a little lost too, so I did some looking. I found the following:

      Proponents argue that it is an evidence-based scientific theory about life's origins that challenges the methodological naturalism inherent in modern science, while conceding that they have yet to produce a scientific theory. The leading proponents of ID are associated with the Discovery Institute, a politically conservative think tank based in the United States. Although they state that ID is not creationism and deliberately avoid assigning a personality to the designer, many of these proponents express belief that the designer is the Christian deity (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_design).

      In other words, Intelligent Design is a variation of Christianity where its proponents are trying to give factual evidence for the Christian Creationist Theory. Any facts they bring up are apparently shot down by the scientific community and at least one court of law which ruled against their petition to replace evolution in schools.

      Pastafarianism started with an anti-creationist standpoint. It’s more philosophy than religion in a sense, but there is a deity involved, so it is a religion, and it’s a peaceful one.

      It might be based on what one might call pure fancy, but it has a belief in a beginning and end to life. It has followers who’ve never fought a war or killed thousands for their beliefs. They’ve never harassed soldiers and army bases because gays are allowed to be soldiers (Christians have). They’ve never sent suicide bombers to kill infidels (ISIS has).

      Here’s the thing, they’re bound to be laughed at for the fanciness and origin of their religion. Their tenets will bring derision as well, but they’ve hurt no one. They plan on hurting no one, and they’re likely all nice people. Well, most of them.

      Who knows? Maybe it was a giant spaghetti monster who floated down and started life on earth? Maybe the letter that got Pastafarianism going wasn’t just jest. Maybe the author stumbled onto a serious truth without realizing it. I wasn’t there. I don’t know either way.

      Do you?

      It’s a matter of faith. And as faith goes, there is no real evidence, just theory. In other words, the fact is that there’s as much evident supporting any faith out there, mine, yours, and Pastafarianism.

      Bringing this note to its aimed goal.

      Yes, I’m finally getting to it.

      I wasn’t just bringing this religion up because it’s a world religion. That was only part of it. I am bringing it up because it’s a good example of a faith you might easily dismiss as folly. There are quite a few religions that are discussed here in the pages that follow that you might instinctively laugh off. Others, you might want to dismiss because they disagree with your own. I would urge you to at least consider them carefully and open-mindedly.

      If you’re strong in your faith, what these people believe won’t bother you because it doesn’t change anything. You’ll still believe, and everyone has an opinion. There’s no changing that much.

      I try to keep an open mind. I try to not dismiss or discount beliefs. I may not follow or actively support them, but I try to remain flexible. That’s all I urge. Just keep an open mind and, if you’re willing, don’t laugh anything you read off.

      That is the point and thrust of this opening note.

      Popularity of the Earth Mother

      (1684 Words – last count)

      I’ll confess that I started gathering books and doing research into world religions with a goal in mind. I was looking into identifying and quantifying Gaia, the Earth Mother’s presence in other world religions.

      I’ve long felt Gaia has simply been interpreted by other religions by different names. Yes, I considered myself New Age Gaian at the time. New Age Gaian is a diverse spirituality. There are a few main elements with many optional expressions of this faith. As a main thrust, this spirituality supports a life force, Gaia, flowing through and around our world. This life force is a sentient soul in itself and seeks balance for all, more notably herself.

      Some also believe in a universal Gaia, that our Earthly Gaia is a part of a larger life force spanning the universe. Others believe that we are born physically with a piece of Gaia, our soul. We mature, learning all the way, and later die. Our matured soul is returned to nourish Gaia. To be reborn again as a new body with a chance to stretch our legs one more time.

      The name dates back to Greek history and religion with Gaia as the Earth Goddess who gave birth to the Earth and the Titans, who were later overthrown by her other sons, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Though mainly Zeus. She then slipped back into myth and was never really mentioned much as the Greek pantheon expanded further.

      I figured there was more the Gaian faith than just what I already knew, so I started doing research. That research did become a general research for anything I could learn, but, after my first run of research was done, that I had inadvertently accomplished what I’d originally set out to do though it wasn’t quite what I expected.

      To make sure this is completely clear, I started out looking for Earth Goddess mentions where the female had created life. The exact name Gaia wasn’t required. Through research, a widening understanding of religions, and the exploration of world history, I’ve since edited that thought.

      There was a time when Earth Goddess worship was central to all beliefs. Danu, the River Goddess gave life to the Celtic nation and remained their divine power. Gaia gave birth to the world and Titans. The Sumerians, an ancient people and civilization built up between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is modern-day Iraq, followed Ninmah, also known as Ninhursag. She was believed to be the creator of the human race in her time.

      Other women were cast down to Earth, either dropped into the sea with no land (to be saved by otters or turtles depending on which creation story you follow) or left to wander looking for a mate (either having to settle for a farmer or someone that was chosen for her).

      In each case from First Nations to Japanese myth or other, the result of that woman mating with her chosen lover was the birth of the animals, the sky and stars, and man from the woman’s womb. Fire was usually given birth to last, killing the woman in its making.

      Drawing further back into Animism, a collection of earlier faiths that allotted every plant, animal, and person with a soul, female goddesses were worshipped wholesale, which is likely where the later goddess worship came from. Nature was held in high esteem, and people lived even more closely with the rhythms of the hunt and the living world around them. There was a harmony to spiritual practise.

      About 3000 BCE, there was a shift.

      Warring bands set out with conquest in mind. As man’s interests changed from agriculture and nature to the beginning of city states and land claims, male gods supplanted the long-worshipped female goddesses. Older, set creation beliefs were abandoned for new legends that supported society’s emerging new power.

      One example of this was the Sumerian God Marduk. With this turning of the tables, Marduk battled Tiamat, a water goddess, and defeated her, breaking and destroying her. He rendered her in parts and used those parts to create the heavens, Earth, and man.

      In other places, Gaia stepped back into shadow, and Zeus was now recognized as the creator of mankind, having needed them to worship him and give the Greek gods immortal lives. Egyptian lore now had it that male gods either ejaculated life into being or created life from pure thought, and Christian faith had a male god creating life in a week. Similar to Marduk, Odin slew Ymir the Giant and used his body parts to form the cosmos, and he and the other Norse male gods ruled divinely with women in important, though subjugated roles.

      Creation and dominion had become the role of men.

      Earth Goddesses that had once given birth to the world were now empowered with protecting, healing, helping, and otherwise nurturing the earth and its populace. They were praised, but they were also delegated to being temptresses and betrayers. It was an interesting combination. It still is in many cases.

      Millennia after this turn, Goddess worship has since been revived, but she is still that of support and empowerment. Creation still remains outside her grasp. Does that mean that today’s definition of an Earth Goddess cannot involve creation?

      To answer that, we need to consider her legacy.

      The Peigan Origin Story, First Nations, involves the Old Woman. It’s the Old Woman who urges the Old Man to bring humans into being. She made sure their creation and design was kind and fair, and she retains the last word in all things (Ward). She is the nurturer in that sense, and there is a strong spiritual rhythm to all life animate and inanimate in First Nations beliefs. The female power to give and sustain life runs throughout.

      An interesting point here is that the Old Man is not exactly male. He was viewed as a grandfather in the way of caring and watching over his grandchildren, but he was never viewed as having a corporeal body the way Christians figure their god looks like Adam. To those of the First Nations, their creator is a formless, sexless being (Deloria).

      Hecate, one of Wicca’s chief goddesses, was originally viewed as a benevolent goddess who granted bountiful crops and fertility among other things. It was time and god politics that dropped Hecate into the underworld with her darker superstitious (Ruickbie). Diana, Hecate’s upper-side double by some accounts, Queen of the Witches and another main Wiccan goddess, is benevolent and protective over those who perform her rites and respect her power, but she’s cruel and vindictive to others.

      The Gond Religion involves Bhagavan. Bhagavan is at times a genderless god from the Hindu religion. The name is at other times male with a female counterpart, just a different spelling of the same name (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavan). Bhagavan has also been recognized by the Gond Tribe as the Hindu god of Shiva, the earth-mother (Parrinder). The Gond also pray to clan gods and village deities. The Gond don’t mix often with others. They live up in the hills of India in a rather secluded fashion.

      The Aryan, Hinduism’s High Tradition, introduces Kali into the mix. Kali is noted as being the consort of Shiva, a goddess of time, change, and destruction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali). She’s also viewed in Aryan as an earth goddess. Aryan is still an active core belief system. Following the Aryan faith, Kali’s daughter was the Dawn. This is noted as having been from an Indo-European influence (Parrinder).

      What I found interesting with Kali is that she has such a dark undertone for an earth goddess. The nurturing and caring aspect is countered by death and destruction. The elements of time and change fit well, but not usually in such a dark envelope. And Kali is most often drawn holding weapons or bringing death. Or standing upon her consort Shiva with her foot on his chest.

      Gaia has been recorded as having been known by many names before Greece. She was transferred from earlier tales under the names Inanna, Ishtar, Anat, Atargatis, Rhea, Barebo, Cybelle, and Demeter to name a few. In Argos, she was known as Hera (Parrinder).

      Frija was one of the ‘mothers’ of the Norse Religion, mentioned previously. She gave fruitfulness to the land and wealth, love, fertility and luck to children (Parrinder). She was one of many earth goddesses under Odin’s rule.

      I’ve missed a few ladies of mention, but I think the point is workable with what I have here. Earth Goddesses and goddess worship in general continued, just under male leadership. They maintained their gifts of healing and nurturing, and they were still relied upon for pregnancies, healthy families, and good crops.

      People still wear Mary pendants to receive Christian blessings, and Wiccan items are still used to ensure success in love and life. The White Buffalo Woman, a goddess (of a sort) of First Nations origin is a legend still told today, and Hinduism does not remove anything. All gods and goddesses are merely added to, so its goddesses continue to be worshipped in shrines throughout India and around the world. There’s a temple where women still go in Egypt where it’s believed they will be blessed with a child. The ancient waters that still flow under and through that temple are still believed to get women pregnant, so Egyptian goddess worship continues in this respect there as well.

      This is the legacy we’re left with today.

      Women are no longer looked to as having created the world, but they sustain and enrich it. And they do give their world the life that matters even if they’re no longer credited for its creation. Is this a loss? Maybe it’s all a matter of perspective.

      There are many stories of Cosmic Eggs. Life was a swirling mass of chaos inside the egg that waited, bided its time, floating through the cosmos, until finally cracking. Life came out creating the order our universe now knows. Cosmic Egg, male god, female goddess - each religion looks to its own tale of creation, but in the long run, what matters more?

      Whatever this world’s beginning, the goddess continues.

      And in each case, she’s still looked to for life and love.

      Creation continues to be a part of what and who she is even after all the years and attempts to take it from her.

      Influences of Religions upon One-another

      (1885 Words – last Count)

      I was genuinely surprised to learn how often the different religions mingled and influenced each other. The Silk Road carried Buddhism over into Japan and influenced Shinto. A new hybrid religion grew and flourished for a time before the two faiths split. They were each changed.

      Years of shared practice altered Buddhism in Japan. Shinto regained much of its original state, but even its statues and practises had been affected. Shinto shrines were guarded by Korean dogs or Chinese lions, so Shinto was influenced by more than just Buddhism. Either that, or Buddhism brought the Chinese and Korean influences on its way through China.

      I wasn’t shocked to learn how Christianity and the Muslim faith had wiped out many tribal religions. These include the Maoris of New Zealand, most of the beliefs of the Australian Aborigines, and many of the pygmies, Bushmen, and Hottentots in Africa.

      The Maoris continue to exist, but they’re split into Ratana and Ringatu. Ratana became a Christian-Maoris hybrid faith. The Ringatu are the more traditional Maoris for which most if not all of their true culture has been diminished.

      The Australian Aborigines accepted help from missionaries and, over time, gave up much of their history and religious ways. They were herded into pens and forced to accept that everything they’d been doing for generations, including Dream Time, had been wrong. They were forced to accept Christian ways, which some still resist, but most didn’t. Theirs is a verbal culture. Those stories were banned, and people stopped sharing, then, died, so their ways have been essentially wiped out as well.

      The African tribes continue their practices to an extent, but their number has been greatly reduced, and their religious culture has been somewhat lost to Christian and Muslim influences. Their lands have been lost to later wars and city politics. I won’t pretend to follow these belief systems though the Maoris present some interesting practises and deities, what we still know of them.

      On a related note, the more general African religion has helped reinforce general world superstition. Their belief in voodoo continues along with tales of what someone can do with black magic. The slave trade spread the people, and the people took their beliefs with them.

      Egyptian religious practices helped form the origins of Judaism, which gave birth in a sense to Christianity, and later on to the Muslim religion. Decoration of tombs, offerings of food, rebirth and god-given supreme powers as well as the blessing of earth, sky, and water – though names were changed and base practises were altered. Whole origin stories were altered, but the root methods behind general prayer and worship remained the same with their Egyptian predecessors to a large extent.

      It’s arguable to say the Sumerian religion predated and thus spurred on religion in Egypt. Hinduism influenced the Celtic legal system and their Druidic faith in other ways. The Celtic tradition of course spread over all of Europe. There was also play between Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and later faiths, each one fuelling and helping develop the other. The intent of putting those beliefs and practises into writing is just one example of this.

      The Aztec and Mayan religions of North America were pretty much specific, but their use of calendars, Heaven, Earth, and Underworld survived. They were undoubtedly influenced by other faiths they took over in their conquests, but they were killed off as well, and the Spanish kept many of their practises.

      Certainly, the Aztec directive of fate and destiny have continued. I only found this predestined notion in one other religion of their age, but the notion is now world-wide. I have no doubt Aztec religion is in part responsible for influencing the rest.

      Rome, ah Rome. As Rome spread its conquest outwards, it carried its religion along for the ride. It got its faith coloured in the effort. British and Celtic gods started to use Roman altars, and Roman gods started to be praised using Celtic charms in British sacred places. Even the Germanic religion mirrored its gods of Odin, Thor, and the like alongside Roman counterparts. Practices blended to say the least.

      It was Europe that added black cats and flying on broomsticks to the witch lore (Ruickbie). The Romans had overtaken the Greek gods which included Hecate and her sisters. It was the Romans, from what I read, that renamed Hecate Diana for that matter as the Queen of the Witches, giving her a kinder, yet still quite dark face. In Europe, the name change, broomstick, and cat accessory additions were made, and they remain part of Wicca’s lore still today.

      Then, Rome took to Christianity, and Christianity moved into Europe hunting witches down and otherwise killing and bribing anyone who didn’t convert.

      The worship of Ishtar was converted to Easter when Constantine converted to Christianity. The re-painted holiday was slotted in to celebrate when Christ, by Christian beliefs, rose from the grave. Ishtar was a fertility goddess (hence the bunnies and eggs, fertility symbols), but this holiday was from a Pagan faith. It was integrated into the next, forcefully so.

      Christianity also overtook Odin’s wild hunt when he flew across the sky on his eight legged horse at night. Odin became Santa, and his eight legged horse became eight reindeer. And Santa became a part of Christmas, the Mass of Christ, which overtook Yule, another Pagan practise at the time of the Winter Solstice.

      The old magics and faiths, forever changed by Rome, sunk back into lore and quiet practice. Rome receded; older faiths returned, and more mingling surfaced.

      Christianity was present, but Wicca was back. Celtic practises returned to an extent. Altars that now spoke to Christian, Roman, and more local faiths remained. I’d love to visit and see England and Europe and those shrines first-hand.

      I found one interesting cross-over between the Sumerians and Greeks. The Greeks have it that a person crossed the River Styx to get to the Underworld. The Sumerians (based in what is present-day Iraq) have it a person crossed the River Habor to get to Arallu, the great land. Like the Greek Underworld, Arallu lay beneath the earth, and it was of course where souls went when they died.

      The Etruscans were a city-state people whose culture and religion became, over time, Roman. The same Etruscan city-state thrust didn’t stop there. As the Romans spread, their city-state ideals spread. The ideal didn’t only spread with them though.

      The same ideal can be found in China at the birth of their core religion. That city-state ideal that replaced the Chou Dynasty is something Confucianism was against, and it was outside of these city-states where Taoism was allowed to quietly flourish.

      Though the Etruscan city-states weren’t the foundations of their faith, in a sense, these political foundations created a setting that gave those different religions and beliefs their start. And the Etruscans did strongly believe in an afterlife and the will of the gods which was also passed along into China, pre Silk Road.

      The Aryan religion evolved into Hinduism. Hindi gods transferred to different faiths like that of the Gond Tribe. Hinduism of course gave birth to Jainism and Sikhism. Their elements of meditation and finding oneness with the spirit and gods can be found in Buddhism. Buddhism of course spread into Japan, but also Burma, China, Thailand, Sri-Lanka, and Vietnam.

      The actual artwork of the Buddha didn’t come about until long after the religion’s introduction, near on four hundred years later.

      The important point is that images of the Buddha can now be found in stores world-wide. The practises of rubbing his belly for luck can be found in a lot of places and peoples. A lot of other faiths follow key methods of Buddhist teaching. Zen practises for that matter continue in gardens and sayings readily used and available most everywhere.

      Elsewhere, First Nations beliefs and respect for nature have been abandoned by many, but there’s been a recent surge in protecting Mother Earth. There’s been a push to revitalize First Nations Rights over the years which has yet to see true fruition, but there is a consciousness to the act these days, and First Nations art has never died out. You’ll find the traditional First Nations art styles in other religious presentations.

      Wicca recipes can be found in many homoeopathic medicines. A Witchcraft store can be found quite easily in most cities, and spells have woven their way into popular culture by way of movies, Hallowe’en costumes and props, and a variety of jewellery.

      The rise of Witchcraft has the old Christian superstitions relenting, and people embrace the earth goddess theme in religions more now. Though there’s still a stigma to being a witch, and though, I think, the general feel is that witchcraft is evil, there is a more common acceptance of this faith and its more natural practises to heal and nurture people.

      For a more direct mingling of religion, consider candle burning rituals at weddings and other affairs. A lot of those rituals no doubt had Wiccan origins, but they’re a main part of so many other faiths to this day.

      In short, everyone went travelling. They were out for trade along the Silk Road or one of the other ancient trade routes. They were fleeing for their lives from a religious or political war and took their religious practises with them. Maybe they were a slaves traded along the Silk Road or up along with the Vikings through Russia and over to Ireland. Secret prayers continued in the face of their new master’s gods. They changed, but they never died out. Maybe their land was pillaged, and their customs and religious idols and ideals were taken back to be adapted for their conqueror’s needs.

      One thing led to another, and before anyone knew it, the old faiths were gone. What remained in each case was an altered state of believing that then continued to shift its own belief platform into something else.

      Even main religions today are changing. Religions like Scientology aren’t even trying to hide their hybrid nature. They’re banking on it.

      Christianity has split into quite a few sects over the years with similar but distinct differences. The most current shift is the growing movement to accept gays as open and welcomed members. It’ll be a slow change, and the ripples will only grow in intensity. Change comes.

      Muslim faith is splitting, also painfully. Women are going to work. Many aren’t wearing their burkas. I’ve even known a few who will now ride in elevators with dogs. They won’t touch them, but they’re becoming flexible. In a few decades when the lesser jihad cools down, when the terrorist acts dwindle and stop, who knows?

      I never expected to find so much mingling, and I’ve only scratched the surface here. I grant my coverage in this article may not have followed a clear path, but I was trying to cover many faiths in one, rather long note.

      Religions today mingle often with Buddhist images, middle-eastern meditation practices, Wiccan healing methods, Gaian Earth Goddess eco-thrusts, and First Nations pressures to respect the earth and each other. Through art, medicine, and hobbies, no religion remains the same. History has proven that they never do. Time and change take no prisoners. They just march on creating something new.

      Ritual Sacrifice – Animal and Human

      (850 Words – last Count)

      I knew that the many tribal religions sacrificed animals in their rites, so none of that learning was a surprise to me. The organs were used in rituals. Their blood was used as paints and poured into bowls for drinking.

      Celts sacrificed animals and, at times, people, and they read the future from their entrails and blood. Romans would have us believe they left altars dripping from hundreds of thousands of human sacrifices and that they burned people alive in giant human-shaped frames made of Wicker, but archaeological and literary evidence supports people were only rarely sacrificed, and there may have never been giant Wicker Men burned, certainly not that often. The Celtic people were a lot more civilized than movies would have us believe. Still, some sacrifice did happen, and entrails were used by Druids to predict and study present and future states.

      Oh-so-righteous Romans sacrificed people to their gods too.

      Witches have been using animals and animal parts in their more traditional worship since the beginning. Conjuring Hecate involved the blood of a black dog or black sheep. Deer or hunted animals were used in different rites for Diana and Hecate.

      Even Egyptian and Christian faiths sacrificed animals, and at times, people in their worship. There are archaeological sites where the bodies of hundreds of faithful Egyptians have lain down and allowed themselves to be buried alive for their Pharaoh. Easter Monday was always a time for child and woman sacrifice for Christians to give back life to Christ since he gave of his blood for them on the cross.

      The Aztecs are famous for the multitude of people they ritually killed for their gods. It was believed the gods gave of their blood to create man, and man needed to give blood back to ensure the sun would rise against tomorrow, to keep this fourth world from coming to a cataclysmic end like the previous three (Aztec creation story).

      Bringing things up a step closer to modern day, during the second world war, Japanese fighters performed kamikaze suicide missions, dying willingly for their Emperor and finding honour in their deaths. These volunteer sacrifices were driven from a devout belief in the Shinto religion and their Emperor’s divine link to their gods.

      Cannibals ate (and eat) people to gain their souls and become stronger as a result, so sacrificing people was and, in some places today, still is just as popular as it once was.

      Checking online will find the tale of parents kidnapping and sacrificing a neighbour’s child. They listened to a shaman and mutilated, then sacrificed the child and bathed in his blood – to increase the chance the woman would give birth. We’re now discussing events from our own decade.

      In 2011, two 10 year old boys and a 55 year old were kidnapped and sacrificed in Mexico to Sante Muerte (Saint Death).

      KidsRights believes hundreds of children have been murdered in recent years by a network of witch doctors who have turned human sacrifice into a lucrative business, (Manger).

      Bring into this the refusal to allow your child to take medicines that would save their life. In 2009, Herbert and Catherine Schaible refused medicine that would have saved their 2 year old boy from pneumonia on the advice of Christian Faith Healers. Allowing a death on religious grounds – is that the same as using the knife that does the child in?

      For that matter, does the Lesser Jihad portion of the Muslim religion count as sacrifice? It condones the killing of others and self-sacrifice of the bomber in order to keep their own faith strong.

      Animal and human sacrifices are still active. What was new to me in this research was that Buddhism, Confucianism, and the Germanic religions practised animal sacrifice.

      I’d always figured Buddhism and Confucianism were too enlightened to think killing something or someone would bend the world to their favour, but these faiths are drawn from, evolved from at least, older traditions. Those older rites were based on rituals concerning the sacrifice of the living for the dead. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I still was.

      As for the Germanic religion, that of Odin and the other Norse gods, I’d never heard of human sacrifices, but in one tradition, people were killed by a single spear thrust and left hanging as an offering to Odin (Parrinder). There were animals sacrificed as well in the name of power and glory. Popular culture’s been spoon-fed a clean, glorified image of the Norse gods. It’s amazing what you can uncover with a little closer scrutiny.

      This was a short note. I didn’t have much to share. I just figured I’d bring this topic up to present-day as a part of my learning.

      Assumption is a bad thing. Because you’ve always seen one image and been told one thing doesn’t mean there isn’t more to it. Challenge accepted norms and open your mind by learning all you can. In the least, learn a lot. You might prove what you’ve always been told is true, or you might see another perspective you hadn’t expected.

      Connection of Man to Nature

      (1291 Words – last Count)

      I found a few aspects along this theme while doing my research, and it’s kind of been touched on, but I think it merits a closer inspection since it’s of key importance in our day to day lives in how we relate to our world.

      First, Command over Nature.

      This sounds simple, and several religions fit into this slot. The Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religions fit for three. The general concept is ownership. That’s their city, their country, and their body of water, and they’ll govern each in the name of their god to feed their god’s people – and feel completely justified in that statement. And yes, they’ll kill, cheat, swindle, and die for it.

      Secondly, Patronage/service to Nature.

      Foremost on this aspect would be the First Nations, New-Age Gaian, and Wiccan belief systems. First Nations have long thought of themselves as caretakers of the earth. They don’t own any lake or tree. They may look to a mountain as sacred and vital to their belief system, but it’s not their mountain (Deloria). They hunt and kill, but they ask permission from the spirits and only take and use what they need (Ward).

      New-Age Gaian follows Gaia, the Earth Mother. There’s an accepted respect for nature and an effort to limit how much negative impact a person has on the earth and its many interconnected eco-systems. There’s an acceptance that we don’t own the Earth. We just live on it and are a part of the interconnected life stream that’s flowing around us.

      Wicca and witchcraft involves the use of altars and rituals. There’s the involvement of earth and rock elements. There’s chanting and calling to the elements. Wicca’s a very earth-minded and earth-intertwined religion. Its uses are often to control or influence people, not nature. This does tend to tie Wicca in with the next aspect I’m mentioning, but it also fits here.

      Third, Protected by Nature.

      This is a fun aspect of this theme. Each religion ties into this aspect to some extent. Most religions see natural storms and events as parts of how their chosen gods are feeling. If they’re in a good mood, they send us water when in a drought or rain to stop a forest fire. If we’ve displeased them, it’s pretty much the opposite.

      There was a world flood at one point. The First Nations people recorded it as an expression of the spirits. The Christians decided it was God wiping the earth clean of sin (Deloria). The same flood is mentioned in Hinduism and given its own meaning on their front. Zoroastrians mention a world flood to cleanse the weak from the world, so the strong might have more to claim, because they deserve it.

      The Egyptians apparently built the Great Pyramid of Giza in anticipation of this great flood as a place to store their collected knowledge, as a place to save losing said knowledge (Olsen, Brad). Folktales from Korea and other places record the same world flood event, just as an extension of their religious world.

      Even Sumeria has a world flood story with a surviving family who hid their way through all that water and were later forgiven for man’s sins and allowed the gift of immortality, as long as they never left their island home, which only King Gilgamesh was ever known to visit, just that one time.

      World Historians and archaeologists have proven there was a world flood though dates and causes are unclear. The depths of the Black Sea and Mediterranean show evidence of just such a sudden deluge that sunk cities and civilizations, so it was a world event. It was likely a result of our last Ice Age as a large berg broke off, so it’s unlikely it had anything to do with any god.

      But for a lot of religious-minded people, nature is seen from each religion’s separate perspective and given separate, sacred meaning, and it’s always from an angle of, we did well, so they’re protecting us, or we’ve wronged them; now we’re in for it.

      The Germanic Religion with Thor and Odin saw things similarly. They prayed to their god of Thunder, Thor, and supernatural creatures were given credit for the storms as sea and tempests on land. Nature was thought to be the gifts or slightings of the gods.

      Tribal religions prayed to nature gods as well for protection. The Celts prayed to grassy knolls and water sprites for guidance, medical aid, and physical salvation. Greeks, Romans, and religions worldwide have spent a lifetime beseeching their gods for protection from and as a result of nature.

      Fourth, One with Nature/transformational.

      This aspect is left for those Tribal Religions and the First Nations. Like a lot of other Tribal Religions, the Australian Aborigines like the Maori believed the spirit world was one with us (Parrinder). There was no splitting of realms, of Heaven, Earth, and Hell. It was all one plain with those gods and spirits walking around us all the time, and we were just a party to what those spirits had going on.

      The First Nations beliefs take this one step further. They believe a spirit in the form of an animal can take the shape of a person. And vice versa. This way, man, animal, and spirit can all see from the other’s perspective.

      Shamans from many pagan religions astral travel to spirit plains to search for lost souls or to study the natural world around them. Shamans protect nature to maintain the balance between the spirit and material worlds. In fact, these different spirit plains are accessed through a very natural geyser or mountain, and nature is protected by the Shaman’s efforts.

      Fifth, Tied to/using Nature.

      I separate this from Control of Nature in the sense that Controlling Nature does not mean you’re tied to it. You’re using it, yes, but in this case, using nature means that the use of nature is key to your beliefs. For example, witches, Wicca, use nature. This has already been mentioned in Servicers to Nature. I believe they’re also tied to it. It’s a part of their potions and spells, and it’s directly involved in some of the rites as far as where and when they’re performed.

      Tribal Religions rely on their rites and rituals using natural elements to summon and relate to their gods and spirits. The location of the ritual is natural in this situation as well. Shamanic practises, as presented previously, apply likewise.

      Shinto to an extent would fit in this category since its shrines are a part of nature, and the elements of air, earth, and water mingle with their prayers. Their gods, Kami, show and express themselves through the worst of storms and slightest of breezes, so weather must be interpreted carefully for its every message.

      Everything covered so far is in relation to a god. God has decreed thus to be so, or god can be found in nature; therefore, things need to be this way. Actions and duty relate to the decree of a person’s chosen religion.

      Existentialism is a philosophy that ties a man to his actions and their reactions. There is a direct link from one to the other, and man is responsible for his actions and to his fellow men both near and abroad for each choice he makes. Being as Existentialism is a philosophy, he is not responsible for his actions due to what a god has said, and he’s not responsible for them before his god. Man simply accepts this responsibility because he feels that it’s right for its own sake.

      In this philosophical sense, applying that logic in the area of nature, man is directly tied to nature and the effect his choices have upon and for it.

      Importance of Ancestral History

      (1068 Words – last Count)

      This is a fun one. I’m going to try and not repeat religions, but many fill more than one aspect of this theme. Keep in mind for what follows that I’m bringing up examples for each, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only religions that fit. They’re just the only religions that are being promoted for it.

      First, Foundations and Practise.

      This aspect of Ancestral History relates to religions that use their ancestors as the foundations of their current life and also practise praising those ancestors in the every day. I’m thinking of the Mayan, Gond tribes, and other Tribal religions.

      Mayan religion is built upon the past. Family name and honour is built upon the actions of your forebears and their service to the gods. You practise your faith today they way they worshipped back then. And yes, I’m speaking in the sense that the Mayan religion is still active. It’s pretty much all wiped out, but some vestiges of its beliefs and customs have been recovered. The importance of ancestor worship is an easy addition to any household.

      In India, ancestors are praised for their past examples, and those examples have become how current Gond natives should live. Their ancestors’ legends have become the given law for every Gond member to live up to and follow, and those ancestors are praised for their every virtue (Parrinder).

      Second, Sources of aid.

      Shinto and the Chinese Religion fit well in this area. Shinto praises and respects its ancestors. Family shrines are maintained, prayers are offered on a regular basis. Part of this custom in Shinto involves, in times of need, the living seeking guidance and help from those same ancestors. Food and other offerings were supplied in return for aid.

      The ancient Chinese Religion, what was in place before Confucianism, involved the making of sacrifices and other offerings to their ancestors in order to gain aid from them. They’d ask for strong children, good crops, and whatever else they’d need.

      These requests were made mostly on Dragon Bones. These bones were actually the shoulder bones of cattle and turtle shells that had once been used to communicate with ancient gods and ancestors. This was a physical link to the Shang Dynasty (1500-1045 BCE). Each bone was edged with questions someone found important (a sickness, why a military campaign had failed, crop-related distress, the meaning of a dream, et cetera). The bone was then burned, and it cracked. The cracks were interpreted for an answer.

      In return for aid from their ancestors, the Chinese kept their family shrines in good condition and made their offerings. This practise continued as the ancient religion evolved into Confucianism and Taoism (Parrinder).

      Third, Justification and proof of present.

      I’ll slot the Christian and Islam Religions in this one. Ancestors are generally honoured in most religions, but in Christian and Islam, they aren’t offered sacrifices. There’s no presumption that spirits of the dead will expend their energies to make the living world better for their living heirs.

      There is prayer to shrines, but ancestors are used primarily to justify that what they believe is true. It must be true because these people came before us and did these things. Their ancestors are martyrs. They’re validation that the living should act in a certain way and defend a certain belief and ideal. Judaism would also agree with this option. Their claim to Isreal is based on the actions of their ancestors.

      Fourth, Strengthening and giving meaning to the present.

      The First Nations fit this category. They believe the spirits abound around us. They’re in the air we breathe and walk beside us watching over us. The spirit world isn’t another world. It’s just one we can’t usually see. As such, the spirits of ancestors give meaning to the present. They’re the reason there is the wind. They’re the nudge that starts you on the right path. Their presence strengthens the resolve and gives the living reason to keep going.

      Also, Spiritism applies here. Spiritists believe in a spirit world that runs alongside our own. The spirits are watching us waiting to communicate. Our ancestors might have issues they didn’t resolve while alive, or they wish to comfort loved ones that haven’t passed yet. And the existence of the spirit world gives this life meaning, proving there is something beyond waiting for us.

      A person dies, and his spirit is free to return home to the spirit world where they debrief and start making plans for a reincarnation, a next trip in a new body. We are here, alive, as a soul that’s been given a chance to learn a new skill or accomplish a predestined task. We are alive to learn and grow spiritually. Both living and spirit worlds have a linked purpose, and they’re driven by the spirits of all who’ve come before, many lifetimes over.

      The most fun aspect of this theme is that there is that bulk of cross-over. I think it’s important that each separate aspect be mentioned because they serve different purposes, some vain, some more humble, but the simple fact is, as mentioned at the start, that some religions fit into more than one of the above.

      Most religious people pray to their family members who’ve moved on asking for help. Do they believe that help will come? Does that prayer count as relying on ancestors for aid? For some individuals in each religion, likely, yes. Do we all seek to use our ancestors for justification for who and where we are now? For some, likely.

      That’s where the play of the individual comes in.

      These days, religions are still crossing lines. This concept has been covered previously. Religions are being shared further and communicated across continents. The Silk Road and other trading routes started the sharing of belief systems with the shrines they built and salesmen they dispatched, but the internet and books have taken their effect much further.

      It’s a global world where most every country’s detail is at your fingertips. Religions and beliefs in general are mixing and becoming something new like they always have, so

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